2008 Woodie Awards
'Priest' dupes fans, security
Imposter sneaks on football field
Marcela Berrios
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: News
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A man posing as a priest fooled football fans and security personnel Sept. 1 when he and his two-man camera crew marched into Notre Dame Stadium - and onto the field - without credentials as an unauthorized prank during the Georgia Tech season opener.
Assistant Vice President for News and Information Dennis Brown said Wednesday the man, dressed in a black outfit and a white clerical collar, joined the marching band during its pre-game concert at Bond Hall and led the procession to the stadium's entrance. There, the man and his two assistants eluded security personnel, walking down the tunnel until they were on the field.
Once there, Brown said, the man continued his impersonation and started conducting interviews on the sidelines until the players rushed onto the field. He greeted them with words of encouragement.
"It looked like he was a Catholic priest and part of a legitimate NBC crew videotaping the band," Brown said. "The security personnel at the north entrance made an honest mistake making this assumption and they didn't check for credentials."
Brown said the individual's crew used a camera with NBC logos on it.
"That's why the stadium security staff wasn't as diligent as they would normally be in terms of checking credentials," Brown said.
The third man in the crew was holding a boom microphone, he said. On Sept. 4, a University official received an e-mail from the pranksters, which was forwarded to Brown's office.
He said the impersonator explained the prank to the University and asked for Notre Dame's permission to submit the video to "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Brown denied the man's request.
The video was, however, available to users on YouTube until Tuesday, when it was pulled off. Brown said his office was not responsible for the video's YouTube deletion.
He also refused to release the prankster's name or say if the man was affiliated with the University.
"We've decided not to release the person's name because it would embarrass that person and expose that person to ridicule," Brown said.
Assistant Vice President for News and Information Dennis Brown said Wednesday the man, dressed in a black outfit and a white clerical collar, joined the marching band during its pre-game concert at Bond Hall and led the procession to the stadium's entrance. There, the man and his two assistants eluded security personnel, walking down the tunnel until they were on the field.
Once there, Brown said, the man continued his impersonation and started conducting interviews on the sidelines until the players rushed onto the field. He greeted them with words of encouragement.
"It looked like he was a Catholic priest and part of a legitimate NBC crew videotaping the band," Brown said. "The security personnel at the north entrance made an honest mistake making this assumption and they didn't check for credentials."
Brown said the individual's crew used a camera with NBC logos on it.
"That's why the stadium security staff wasn't as diligent as they would normally be in terms of checking credentials," Brown said.
The third man in the crew was holding a boom microphone, he said. On Sept. 4, a University official received an e-mail from the pranksters, which was forwarded to Brown's office.
He said the impersonator explained the prank to the University and asked for Notre Dame's permission to submit the video to "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Brown denied the man's request.
The video was, however, available to users on YouTube until Tuesday, when it was pulled off. Brown said his office was not responsible for the video's YouTube deletion.
He also refused to release the prankster's name or say if the man was affiliated with the University.
"We've decided not to release the person's name because it would embarrass that person and expose that person to ridicule," Brown said.